How to Dye Your Dog's Hair at Home
I have a sweet maltipoo named Chloe. She is white with apricot spots and has soft floppy ears. She is certainly a cuddle bug, but being very young and larger than our other dogs, she often tries to play a little to rough with them. As a result, we lovingly tell her every Wednesday that she should wear pink because "mean girls wear pink on Wednesdays." (Check out Mean Girls starring Lindsay Lohan if you missed that reference.) And, of course, if she should naturally wear pink on Wednesdays, why not take the next step and dye the tips of her ears pink too?
Is it Safe to Dye Your Dog's Hair?
"Medically speaking it is safe to dye your dog's fur - as long as you use safe products." While I myself am not a veterinarian or professional groomer, I do strive to be an educated dog mom consumer. Knowing that I was only choosing to temporarily dye my dog's hair purely for fun aesthetic purposes, I had no desire to experiment with food coloring or any do-it-yourself permanent color creation, and under NO CIRCUMSTANCES was I going to use human hair dye on dogs (warning: this is very dangerous for dogs. Human hair coloring should never be used on dogs). Instead, I looked for widely-used, non-toxic temporary dyes made specifically for animals.
I also took into consideration the personality of my dog before deciding to dye her hair. Chloe is very calm on the grooming table with me. She does not become anxious or aggressive, and seems to very much enjoy the attention. So, I knew that a little extra grooming was not going to stress her out. If I had any belief that it would, I would absolutely not dye her hair.
How I Dyed the Tips of My Dog's Ears Pink with Temporary Pet Fur Coloring
Materials I Used:
- Warren London Critter Color Temporary Pet Fur Coloring - Alexa's Soft Pink Kiss
- Pair of Latex Gloves
- Hair Dryer
- Towel
- Comb/Brush
- Small Towel or Bandana (optional: this is to wrap around the dog's neck to keep the dye from transferring from the ears to the dog's shoulders while the dye is wet)
Take me directly to the instructional video!
Steps:
Step 1: Set up your grooming station in a calming place in your home. Open your pet fur coloring jar (be careful to not get dye on your hands), plug your hair dryer in, and have any other supplies nearby.